First Weekend = Trouble...

Happy Monday/get back on track day!

I do have to say that this weekend was extremely tough. I would rate my diet a B-. It's ok though b/cI did much better than before. I can't be too hard on myself because this is going to be an adjustment no matter what, but I had too much going on this weekend to stay 100% on track. Lesson to self...learn to say no!

Dinner on Friday was fair. I heard great reviews about The Gage on S. Michigan Avenue so I was excited to bring some of my family from Iowa there. The mussels at this restaurant were supposed to be top notch. Unfortunately they were drenched in butter and came with a ridiculous piece of toast (I may have stared down every table who ordered these.) I passed on this option and went with the Roasted Amish chicen. The chicken was served with grilled asparagus and wilted cherry tomato with goat cheese. I liked the dish, but probably wouldn't go back for it. A few others at the table got the Gage Burger which was served with french fries. “The Gage” is a USDA prime burger with melted onion marmalade and served on a toasted malt roll. OMG DID THIS LOOK AMAZING! Monster ordered this which I knew was going to happen. Isn't it funny when you know what other's are going to order? I can usually always guess Monster's dish and Lindsay's. I had a few MGD 64 beers with dinner and half a Blue Moon at Rebar, but was pretty tired and called it a night.

On Saturday I woke up and had my mug of eggs. This time I added giardiniera which gave it a nice kick. I skipped lunch since I decided to head to my friend Ally's pool. For my linner (lunch/dinner) I had a grilled chicken salad from subway. I had mostly all veggies on this salad. It was very tasty and I had honey mustard on the side.

I love ranch and honey mustard for salad dressings. I can't get into balsamic vinaigrette. I'm not sure why since I know it's healthier. I always get ranch or honey mustard, but follow the dip my fork technique. I order dressing on the side and rather than pour over the salad, I dip my fork in it and add it to a bite of salad just to get a taste of the dressing. I highly recommend doing this.

That night we had a surprise birthday party. This is where everything went south. I had a few drinks at the party, but could not stop eating the cashew, almond and pistachio mix. I also had a few stuffed mushrooms and 2 chicken skewers. I did manage to stay away from the chips and guac, taco salad, sliders, etc etc etc. The menu was un-real! I mostly had beer the rest of the night and tried to take down an RBV (red bull vodka,) but had maybe half of it. Also, we skipped eating late night food and just went right to bed. I have to say this was a huge hump to get over. I love eating a slice of pizza after a long night of drinking. Baby steps...

On Sunday things got better. I met some girlfriends at Dunlay's for brunch! It was so good! Lindsay claims to like Dunlays better for brunch than dinner and I may have to agree with her. I had a veggie omelette, side of fruit and a grilled tomato. I had a few bites of the hashbrowns and gosh they were good. I skipped the mimosas and bloody marys, but I really was craving one. I decided to go home and be lazy before hitting the grocery store. I went to Aldi and Trader Joes! I got my usual items from both. I purchased some strawberries which I am going to have for a snack today :).

For dinner I made soy nuggets and had them with ketchup. I love these so much. If I had the option to have chicken nuggets or soy nuggets, soy nuggets would win!

The soy nuggets are seasoned, dairy free, vegetarian and breaded with stone ground whole wheat flour. They come frozen and can be microwaved. There are 120 calories and 1.5 grams of fat for 4 nuggets! What a steal! I only had a few of these since I knew I would be sharing some pretzel nuggets with cheese for a snack at the movies. Now these really ended the weekend with a bang! Probably didn't need them, but much better than candy or popcorn. (Side note: I hate popcorn! The smell drives me up the wall.)

So after reflecting on my weekend, I have decided that today is a new day. I will be back on track today and excited for a good slow week.

The plan:
This morning I had mug of eggs with 2 cubes of pepper jack cheese and giardiniera. I also made one morninstar soy sausage patty. I skipped my morning snack and will be having a spinach salad with soy nuggets for lunch. My afternoon snack will be a banana and strawberries with equal. My gym plan is cardio for 45 or 50 minutes.

I am meeting one of my best friends and her mom for drinks later tonight. I'm passing on dinner since I spent plenty at the grocer and don't need to be spending money. I'm not really in the mood to drink so I may stick with soda water with lime.

Talk to you soon!
PK